Avnet Partners with IBM on IoT

Technology distributor Avnet is working with IBM to increase the development and deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in the US, Europe and Canada. T

he two companies’ efforts will help customers, ranging from original equipment manufacturers to solution providers, develop IoT solutions built on the IBM Watson IoT Platform to help create new revenue streams and operational efficiencies.

This collaboration builds on Avnet’s IoT development practices; for example, Avnet recently worked with SPICA Technologies to help create a smart cities IoT solution to improve water safety. This solution reduces the risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease by using connected devices attached to water pipes that provide real-time information and analysis on water temperature and flow, improving accuracy and reducing monitoring costs by up to 60 percent. Avnet brought together the sensor components, IBM Core Middleware, IBM Enterprise analytics, and an IBM Cloud deployment to manage the data.

“Developing an IoT solution is incredibly complex and requires deep technical knowledge from a semiconductor level to advanced data analytics running in a data center,” said Patrick Zammit, president, Avnet Technology Solutions, Global. “Avnet and IBM joined together to simplify the development cycle at every stage and give our customers the power to unlock the potential of IoT.”

Avnet and IBM will provide customers with a wide range of resources from the edge to the enterprise to develop IoT solutions that effectively gather information, connect to the Internet, and securely manage and analyze data.

Additionally, customers will be able to leverage the Avnet Visible Things evaluation and development reference platform. This initiative, driven by Avnet in EMEA, is a platform, built on IBM Watson IoT Platform, designed for edge-to-enterprise IoT projects. It delivers hardware and embedded software to connect smart sensors to the Avnet Devicepoint service, which adds context to sensor information and loads it to an enterprise-strength core system. It then presents a set of business and integration services focused on analytics, cloud and mobile.

“IBM, alongside its vast network of clients and partners, is ushering in a new era of computing, extending the power of cognitive computing to the billions of connected devices, sensors and systems that comprise the Internet of Things,” said Harriet Green, general manager, Watson IoT, Education and Commerce, IBM. “Working together, Avnet and IBM can help clients further embrace the full promise of IoT using innovative technologies to uncover hidden patterns in data and act on them, to transform business and society alike.”